, 1887-12-15
TIE MAN IN THE MOON.
A MYTH KNOWN TO BE OF GREAT
ANTIQUITY.

ANTIQUITY.
A VOL Known German tory-wha
Northern Mythology Tells About Him
doc InlIcs-Tho Moon In AnrIcn-A
Greenland TaIc-hn Australian Belief.
4 well known German story tells about
the man who cut sticks on the Sabbath,
and WIS caught up in the moon, fagots
and all, and there stands to this day.
Another tale told in Swabia relates about
n mauikin who stole wood, md il still to
be seen in the moon. \ Dutch household
myth accused the man in the moon Of
stealing cabbage OF Christmas eve; the
n%cighbors caught him just as he was
walking off with a'goOd supply, and they
wished" hin up in the moon. He stands
there to this day, bearing his load of cab
bages. 1t is said that he turns-round once
every Christmas eve, but astronomy does
not support the idea. In Sylt, the man in
the moon was n sheep stealer, and it was
his custom TO entice the sheep with n
bundle OF cabbages. He was placed in the
moon MS nm everlasting warning to others.
In Shaumburg-lippe it Is said that n man
aud woman We're sent TO the NOON; the
man because he prevented people from
going to church on Sunday by strewing
brambles and thorn bushes in their way,
and the woman because she made butter
on n Sunday.
Northern mythology tells about n giant
who inhabits the MOON, and is supposed
to cause the ebb and low of the tide.
When he stoops the water flows, and
when he stands erect the water subsidies
ngain. This somewhat resembles the
Scandinavian myth about Bill and Hulk,
who were taken up to HEAVIER by Mani.
They were on their way to the well of
Byrglr, bearing OF their shoulders the
bucket Soeg and the pole Stimuli. They
We're placed in the MOON, and are sup
posed to regulate her waxing and wan
ing. Evidently "Jack and Jill1 of our
nursery rhymes reproduce this legend.
Grimm says that the water pole of the
heather story has been transformed into
the axis hiatt and the pole into the thorn
bush.
TIE HINDoo's STORY
In Hindoo mythology the moon-Chandra
or Some-is n male deity, represented in one
myth ms the son of the patriarch Atri, ard
in another rs arising from the milk sea,
when it WINS churned by the gods so MS TO
obtain the water of life. The moon is gen
orally represented rs wearing n white gar.
mcnt, holding n mace in one hand, and
riding n chariot drawn by ten horses and
antelopcs. The hare is sacred to him, and
the HiudoO5 fancy that they see the nut
line OF II hnrc on the face of the moon.
In Africa the man In the moon is sup
posed to ave incurred the wrath of the
sun, and is In punishment carved by the
knife, that is, by the rays of the latter.
This continues until the whole of the
moon is cut away and only n little piece
left. Tho moon implores the sun to nave
pity On him, and leave this morsel for his
children. The sun grants his request,
and the moon grows from this little piece
until Mt last II Is n full moon. Then the
sun begins carving again.
In China the old man of the moon Is
Known us Yue-lao, and holds the reins of
marriages Of mortnls in his hands. Tho
future husband and wife are tied together
by an Invisible silken cord, which is only
severed Mt death. Harley remarks in his
funny way that this must be the man of
the honeymoon. a Slavonic legend says
that the moon, king of night and husband
of the sun, falls in owe with the morning
star, wherefore he was cloven through in
punishment, as we see him in the sky.
a Russian story is told about a man
who sought for the isle in which there
was no death. He took up his abode in
tho moon, but after n hundred years or so
had elapsed death came after him. A
furious struggle ensued with the moon,
AhN az GANNiAb Jus III llAlL
was caught up in the sky, and now shines
''as a star near the moon" 1t was not
mn unusual belief that tho moon was in
haOited; some thought her the place where
human spirits either came or went.
Others fancied 1t was n prison Cucc, in
T..ch, behind bars Of light, miserable
1].4ryrs were TO be exposed to all eternity
- II warming to Others.
VARIOUS sUPEEsTfTIOS6
Some say the man in the moon is Isaac.
barring u burden o f-wuuI for the sacrifice
+ liu,scIf OF Mount Morlah. Others that
he Is Cain, carrying a bundle of thorns on
his shoulders in punishment for offering
to God the cheapest gift from his field.
Dant refers to this In the "Infcrno,''
canto Xxx, line 1923, where he speaks Of
"Cain with fork OF thorns," and again in
canto ii of the Paradise he mentions
1.-The gloomy spots upon this body the
Eloon's) (which below on earth give rise
TO talk of Cain" The Jews nave n story
That jacobs face is visible In the moon.
According to n French superstition, it is
Judas ~Iscariot, who was transported there
for his treason. Grimm tells us tina n
religious superstition is handed down by
Bcrthold, l4j, that the moon is Mary Mag.
dalcnC, and the spots are her tears Of re-
p%cntancc.
In Greenland the sun and the moon
were said to be brother and sister. Malina
was tcascd by her brother Anninga, and
she ran away from him. He followed her,
but she few up In the mir and became the
sun, and her brother, who could not fly so
hi~h, became tho moor lie is still pur-
suing his sister, hoping some day to sur
prise and capture her. ''NVhcu he is tired
and hungry in his last quarter lie leaves
his house, on IL slcdgc harncSScd to four
dogs, md hunts for several days. On his
return he cats so much that he ngaiu
grows into n full NOON
The Australian believe the moon TO be
n mischiovous being. who went about the
world doing evil. One day he swallowed
the eagle god. The wives of the eagle
came up, and tho noon asked them where
lac could find n well. They showed him
ono, and rs he stopped over to drink they
hi him on tho hcnd ian idea munifcstly
ll;usinrizcd by Miss Braddun in Lady
Audlcy's Secretly with n tomahawk, md
out flew thcc aglc.-lIomc journal.
The Baby Plesiosnurus.
Ono of the most remarkable fossils ever
furIl has been exhibited TO british